MLB: Allen makes 2 superb catches, Indians beat Red Sox 6-3

August 22, 2018 (Mainichi Japan)

Cleveland Indians' Michael Brantley (23) veers off as Greg Allen, right, makes the catch on the fly out by Boston Red Sox's Mitch Moreland during the fifth inning of a baseball game in Boston, on Aug. 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Melky Cabrera homered for the second straight game and Yan Gomes also connected for Cleveland. The Indians have won nine of 10, including the first two of the four-game series at Fenway Park.

Boston, with the best record in the majors, has lost three in a row for just the second time this season.

Allen doubled, singled and drove in a run. But he made the biggest impact with his glove.

First, Allen raced back and slammed into the padded wall to take away an extra-base hit from Xander Bogaerts leading off the fifth inning. Then, with the Red Sox trying to rally in the seventh, Mitch Moreland hit a long drive toward the dirt triangle in deep center. Allen slid to a stop as he caught the ball over his shoulder -- it was a sacrifice fly and finished Bieber, but thwarted Boston's momentum.

Bieber (7-2) took a shutout in the seventh, allowing three runs and five hits in 6 1/3 innings.

YANKEES 2, MARLINS 1, 12 INNINGS

MIAMI (AP) -- Giancarlo Stanton had two hits in his homecoming but closer Aroldis Chapman left the game accompanied by a trainer as New York beat Miami in 12 innings.

After Yankees backup catcher Kyle Higashioka raced home on a sacrifice fly in the 12th, Chapman came on trying for his 32nd save, but he departed with none out when his troublesome knee flared up.

Stanton, playing in Miami for the first time since he was traded after eight seasons with the Marlins, singled in the first and missed a homer by a few feet when he doubled off the left field wall in the fifth.

Higashioka led off the 12th with a single against Javy Guerra (1-1). After the Yanks loaded the bases, Miguel Andujar hit a sacrifice fly to left field, with Higashioka sliding home ahead of the throw.

After Chapman departed following a walk to Isaac Galloway and wild 96 mph fastball on the next pitch, Tommy Kahnle came on to earn his first save since 2016. Higashioka threw out Galloway trying to steal second to end the game.

A.J. Cole (3-0) pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the 11th.

BRAVES 6, PIRATES 1

PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Dansby Swanson had two homers and four RBIs, Kevin Gausman breezed through eight innings to lead Atlanta past Pittsburgh.

Swanson's first homer gave the Braves a 2-0 lead in the fifth before he sent another two-run shot into nearly the same spot in the left field bleachers, extending the lead to 5-0 in the seventh. Kurt Suzuki doubled down the left-field line, scoring Ozzie Albies from first for the third run. Tyler Flowers scored on a wild pitch in the ninth to make it 6-0.

Gausman (8-9) gave up four hits with five strikeouts and two walks, helping the NL East-leading Braves take the first two legs of the three-game series.

Ivan Nova (7-8) allowed Swanson's first home run after retiring his initial 10 batters, including the first nine on 29 pitches. Ender Inciarte singled to center for Atlanta's first hit with one out in the fourth.

The scoreless stretch ended when Snell (15-5) allowed a fifth-inning solo homer to Ryan O'Hearn. Snell struck out 11 and gave up four hits in six innings. The left-hander has 13 straight home starts of allowing one earned run or fewer, which is longest stretch in the majors since 1913, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

O'Hearn has five homers in 14 career games for the Royals, who dropped to 50 games (38-88) under .500.

Tampa Bay's Tommy Pham had three hits, an RBI and a walk but left in the eighth after he appeared to hurt his right hand/wrist area diving back to first base on a pick-off attempt.

Willy Adames had three hits and put the Rays up 1-0 on a homer off an overhanging catwalk in the second.

Joey Wendle made it 3-0 with a two-run triple off Glenn Sparkman (0-2) during the fourth.

Sergio Romo pitched the ninth for his 17th save, working out of a two-on, one-out jam.

Zimmermann (6-5) allowed seven hits, struck out five and walked one, continuing the Cubs' misery. Drew VerHagen, Joe Jimenez and Shane Greene combined for three innings of one-hit relief, closing out the Tigers' second win in seven games. Greene got his 27th save in 30 chances.

The NL Central-leading Cubs were held to one run via homer for the fifth straight game, dropping the last three in the offensive slide. This time, Anthony Rizzo led off the sixth with his 19th homer, falling to his knees as he drove Zimmermann's first pitch over the wall in right.

But that was it once again for Chicago.

Help could be on the way after the Cubs acquired Daniel Murphy in a trade with Washington before the game.

Detroit got both of its runs in the first inning against Kyle Hendricks (9-10) on Nicholas Castellanos' RBI grounder and Martinez's two-out RBI single. Hendricks gave up 10 hits and walked one in seven innings.

BLUE JAYS 8, ORIOLES 2

TORONTO (AP) -- Justin Smoak and Kendrys Morales hit back-to-back home runs, Aledmys Diaz and Billy McKinney also connected, and Toronto improved to 9-0 at home against struggling Baltimore.

Blue Jays right-hander Sam Gaviglio (3-6) pitched seven innings to snap a 15-start winless streak, earning his first victory since May 25 at Philadelphia. Gaviglio allowed two runs and six hits.

Smoak and Morales chased right-hander Dylan Bundy (7-12) with solo blasts two pitches apart in the fifth. Smoak's homer was his team-high 19th.

Morales, who homered twice in Monday's 5-3 win, has hit four home runs in his past three games, giving him 17 on the season.

One out later, McKinney took Ryan Meisinger deep for his first career homer, giving the Blue Jays their first three-homer inning since Aug. 23, 2017 against Tampa Bay.

METS 6, GIANTS 3

NEW YORK (AP) -- Rookie Jeff McNeil went 4 for 4 and hit a go-ahead double with two outs in the eighth inning that lifted New York past San Francisco.

McNeil equaled his career high by getting four hits for the second time since making his major league debut last month. Michael Conforto homered and drove in four runs.

Evan Longoria hit a two-run homer for the Giants, who fell to 3-5 on an 11-game road trip -- they've scored two runs or fewer five times.

With the score tied at 2, Jose Reyes led off the Mets eighth with a triple off the center field fence. Tony Watson (4-5) got pinch-hitter Todd Frazier on a popout and struck out Amed Rosario before McNeil delivered.

The Rockies arrived home after a 5-1 trip that included a four-game sweep of Atlanta.

The last-place Padres are 6-7 against the Rockies this season. Hedges had the big blow with a solo homer in the sixth, giving San Diego a 4-3 lead.

Padres left-hander Robbie Erlin (3-3) allowed three runs over five innings. He made five scoreless relief appearances against the Rockies earlier this season.

Craig Stammen escaped a bases-loaded jam in the eighth by striking out Trevor Story and getting Carlos Gonzalez to ground out to second baseman Christian Villanueva, who made a nifty sliding play. Kirby Yates pitched the ninth for his fifth save, with Chris Iannetta flying out to deep left to end the game.

Anderson (6-6) had pinpoint accuracy over 6 1/3 innings -- 74 of his 99 pitches were strikes -- except for two misplaced cutters to Hosmer and Hedges.